Immortals
by Andromeda of Othrys
Summary: Tom knew he had a nasty habit of obsessing over things. Obsessing over Holly Potter though... well, no one told him it was a bad idea, but even if they had told him, he would be obsessing over her. After all, she's only other person besides him he found worthy of immortality.


**This drabble is for the Slytherin House, prompt being Immortals by Fall Out Boys - 862 words  
**

* * *

 _ **They say we are what we are**_

 _ **But we don't have to be.**_

 _ **I'm bad behavior but I do it in the best way.**_

Tom could clearly recall the first time he saw his temptress, the only woman in the world his dead heart skipped a beat over. Dressed in a cloud of red silk that contrasted with those glowing green eyes and that pitch-black hair which fell in gentle curls just past her shoulders, Holly Potter was a vision of ethereal, unattainable beauty.

He didn't know what was she doing at Hogwarts, but he swore that one day, he would have her. He was certainly handsome enough to earn her attention, and if that failed, he could charm his way into her good graces. Either way, she would be his, and his alone.

 _ **I'll be the watcher (watcher) of the eternal flame.**_

As it turned out, he had miscalculated. Under the beautiful and seemingly vapid exterior, the beautiful nymph held the brain of a warrior and tongue of a Slytherin, and she used both with surprising - and inspiring - efficiency. After watching her destroy other admirers' egos, Tom was glad he had decided to hang back and not approach her immediately; he had no desire to get cut to size by Holly's razor-sharp tongue. That, however, did nothing to quench his desire for her: if anything, it only strengthened the flame burning just behind his collarbone.

 _ **Oooooooh,**_

 _ **I try to picture me without you but I can't**_

In no time, the slip of a girl became his obsession, and life without tantalizing glimpses of her throughout the school day became unimaginable. He knew this was dangerous - Lord Voldemort could not afford weaknesses as obvious as Holly Potter - but he couldn't care less. She was fascinating, and he would obsess over her until he found something else to focus his attentions on. This was only a temporary attraction of the flesh.

Then Merrythought's class happened.

 _ **'Cause we could be immortals, immortals**_

Tom would shamelessly admit that he had been completely blown away by the dexterity and ruthlessness Holly showed in DADA class. Her rage and battle tactics were intoxicating in their potency, even though the touch of her Light magic she naturally gravitated stung him. Watching her, he was forced to admit that she was definitely worthy of standing by his side for all of eternity.

She deserved to share the immortality Tom had discovered.

 _ **And live with me forever now,**_

He would have helped her achieve immortality; however, Holly Potter was incredibly stubborn about the subject!

"No, Tom." She scowled at him, crossing her arms. "I do not wish for immortality."

"And why not?" Tom asked, his own temper rising. "Why limit yourself to sixty, seventy years of life when you can do so much with the longer lifespan?"

"There is no cheating Death forever, Tom," she said wearily. "Believe me, I'd be the one to know. Death always comes for the humans. And the price for so-called immortality is too high."

"But if we weren't humans?" Tom proposed quickly. "If we surpassed the limitations of humanity?"

She quieted, deep in thought.

"Then I wouldn't be me anymore," Holly whispered.

"I'd want you by my side anyway," Tom promised her.

 _ **We could be immortals**_

 _ **Just not for long, for long.**_

It was Holly, not Tom, who provided the solution to the dilemma.

"I shouldn't tell you this Tom," she sighed, offering him the pendant she always wore. "But I… I've been so lonely."

At the first glance, it seemed to be Grindelwald's sign, circle inside the triangle bisected by a vertical line, but Tom spotted an engraved phoenix dangling from one corner of the triangle and a tiny Snitch from the other.

"I am the Avatar of Death," she confessed in a low voice. "I cannot die until I find someone who will take on my duties."

Tom couldn't speak, struck by the gravity of what she said.

"I came here, hoping I'll find him or her," Holly continued, "but yet again, I was disappointed. There's no one here who could take on that burden. But..."

"But?"

"It's a lonely existence, hopping across dimensions and time, searching for the right person to take over your job," Holly said with a sigh. "Death had warned me, but I didn't care at first, confident I'd find my successor quickly. And now…" she looked straight into Tom's eyes. "Now I don't give a damn you were my enemy in my dimension and time. I don't give a damn a version of you killed my parents. I just don't want to be alone anymore, Tom Marvolo Riddle, Lord Voldemort. Will you come with me?"

A shiver went through Tom at the heavy declaration and the invocation of both of his names. Was he willing to leave everything behind for her? For a woman who first attracted him by her looks, then impressed by her intelligence and finally hooked by her fighting spirit?

Was his obsession strong enough?

 _Yes, it was._

Tom nodded slowly, taking the pendant from her and rubbing the engraved phoenix with his thumb.

"Yes," he said, his dark eyes intense. "Yes, I will."


End file.
